Vintage Bell&Howell 185

[retnev]

Anyone have an idea where I can find Vintage Bell & Howell speaker connectors ?
The one I am after is a circular 2-pin screw type.
The female is on chassis and the male has a screw ring.

thanks

 

[BMXTRIX]

Photos would be very helpful. Speakers themselves haven't really changed in many, many years. So, a photo might at least lead us to give you information that may be useful. It also would be helpful to get an exact model number for the projector.

When most people speak about projectors these days, we are discussing digital projectors, not film projectors. Most people have never owned a film projector and haven't seen one outside of grade school... if they are old enough to have seen them at all.

 

[retnev]

BMXTRIX said: "When most people speak about projectors these days, we are discussing digital projectors,"
I did say Vintage Bell & Howell, so I cannot see how this could be an issue.

Regarding images as you requested:

Here are two images
"

http://imgur.com/VvS6pYp

"
"

http://imgur.com/GxQijsP

"

The Bell&Howell part number is 17458.
Obviously, I need the screw-ringed male plug for this.

 

[BMXTRIX]

So, to be clear, the pins would most likely be + and - terminals like you would find on any current speaker on the market. You likely could just use two standard pin connectors and put one pair in each set of holes for a jenky setup. Looking at things it appears similar to a Gx12 connector. But, it's definitely not quite the same even if it uses the same pin style.

Kind of looking at Bell & Howell stuff online, it seems like it is pretty proprietary, and that others literally do what I mentioned in just hacking in a couple of wires that fit into the holes. The rating on their projector speakers also sounds like it is 16 ohms which is not typical these days.

Decent thread with some photos talking about the speakers, and using a different connector (which also may not work)...

Bell and Howell Speaker Question

I came across an incredibly cool garage sale find...an old Bell and Howell speaker cabinet with a 12-inch Jensen in it! According to the date code the speaker is either a 1952 or 1962. The cabinet looks 60s-ish to me but maybe it is older? Here's the thing...the speaker has these unusual male...

www.tdpri.com

 

[retnev]

Yes I already saw all that, but I dont want to replace or jerry-rig the connector. All I want to know is if anyone know where I can find a connector to be used on what I posted.

 

[lovinthehd]

Wow, never even saw connectors like that and 80 years later wonder if they exist at all. Maybe ask schools with old av departments?

 

[BMXTRIX]

Yes I already saw all that, but I dont want to replace or jerry-rig the connector. All I want to know is if anyone know where I can find a connector to be used on what I posted.

You likely can't. That's the point. You'll have to dig through eBay and other sites looking for an old set of speakers, or similar, that has their proprietary wire with it and the connectors still on. Since this doesn't appear to match up to anything currently in production, that's really your only choice from what I can tell. Sometimes connections, even old ones, followed some sort of standard, or were popular enough to have products made years later, but there is no indication that is the case here, so you are stuck going the used or DiY direction. With how little appears out there used, it's just going to be a tough one to get a hold of as there doesn't seem to be a modern day equivalent that you can just go buy.

 

[Hobbit]

You can make some measurements and send them along with a picture to companies like Switchcraft and see if they have anything that would do the trick. You can also try digging around Digikey.

I just took a chance and searched ebay for BH projector speakers. Looks like the same connector on the speaker itself. A couple of the speakers come with this cable to hook from it to the projector. Unless you plan on using an original speaker with an original cable, you'll still need to do some jury-rigging to connect the projector to a more modern speaker.

 

[TLS Guy]

BMXTRIX said: "When most people speak about projectors these days, we are discussing digital projectors,"
I did say Vintage Bell & Howell, so I cannot see how this could be an issue.

Regarding images as you requested:

Here are two images
"

http://imgur.com/VvS6pYp

"
"

http://imgur.com/GxQijsP

"

The Bell&Howell part number is 17458.
Obviously, I need the screw-ringed male plug for this.

That picture really helps.

That is a 2 pin amphenol female connector. You need the male companion. They used to be common on industrial gear like PA amps.

They are still available and Digi-Key have 55 in stock.

The trouble is I'm too darn old, but sometimes I'm useful until my senility advances.

 

[retnev]

Thanks for the help.
I need the offset version of that Amphenol connector. The ones in my photo has the two holes offset slightly above the centerline. Would have been nice if the holes were on the centerline, then your solution would have been spot on.

You SURE are useful, thanks.
OT.
Regarding senility. Remember, it is mostly a dietary/hormonal issue. Believe me, it solved so many of my problems after I corrected that. As you get older your ability to absorb nutrients fall drastically creating the problem in most cases. Relatively easily corrected before it is too late. Addressing hormones are a different but necessary path.

 

[TLS Guy]

Thanks for the help.
I need the offset version of that Amphenol connector. The ones in my photo has the two holes offset slightly above the centerline. Would have been nice if the holes were on the centerline, then your solution would have been spot on.

You SURE are useful, thanks.
OT.
Regarding senility. Remember, it is mostly a dietary/hormonal issue. Believe me, it solved so many of my problems after I corrected that. As you get older your ability to absorb nutrients fall drastically creating the problem in most cases. Relatively easily corrected before it is too late. Addressing hormones are a different but necessary path.

All two pin Amphenol connectors are off set slightly, and so are the ones I specked for you. I specked the correct connector for you. If you look at the pin diagram on the site, you can see they ARE the male plugs that you need.

 

[retnev]

Here is another photo. It seems to be slap bang in the center.
I will have to contact Amphenol directly to find out what the exact pin position is, as I need a couple of these.

Thanks for the help.
It put me on the right track.

 

[TLS Guy]

Here is another photo. It seems to be slap bang in the center.
I will have to contact Amphenol directly to find out what the exact pin position is, as I need a couple of these.

Thanks for the help.
It put me on the right track.

ALL those two pin amphenol speakers connectors are off center, so you can't get the speakers out of phase. They HAVE to be in the correct orientation to be able to insert them. Having them reversible would make no sense. I have never seen one that you could reverse. In any event those connectors are long discontinued, and what Digi-Key have are old stock. So my advise is to by them. If it should happen that they do not work, then you will have to mount different speaker sockets, like Neutrik on your unit. You will have no other option.

 

[retnev]

Ok, I will get them, thanks for the help.

 

[TLS Guy]

if anyone have any type of issue about projectors. recently i visit a blog projectorstips.com we solve our 70% problems. very easily

We solved it. You would not have!

 

[retnev]

[="TLS Guy, post: 1592843, member: 29650"]
"All two pin Amphenol connectors are off set slightly, and so are the ones I specked for you. I specked the correct connector for you. If you look at the pin diagram on the site, you can see they ARE the male plugs that you need."


Unfortunately when I received them they are larger than what is on the projector.
Not the same plug as needed.
So I am back to the drawing board
Was a good try, though.

 

[Eppie]

Unfortunately when I received them they are larger than what is on the projector.
Not the same plug as needed.
So I am back to the drawing board
Was a good try, though.

How much larger are we talking about? If the ones from Digikey do not fit, then you are really left either to the used market or modifying the projector. If this is not a museum piece and your goal is to get it working, I would get the matching female jacks and replace the stock ones or change the connector type. If the difference is small you could file the holes slightly larger to fit the amphenol connectors, or measure the hole opening and find a neutrik or other connector that fits. That will likely require having soldering tools as well.

 

[retnev]

The Ampenol plug barrel part is about 1mm to large. Fine, i can put that in my lathe and machine it down, but it would still not help.
Reason is the ring that secures it has a thread way different and WAY too large. It is about 2mm in diameter larger than what is on the projector.
This is clearly NOT an Amphenol connector that is on the projector.
See images, quite different.

 

[TLS Guy]

The Ampenol plug barrel part is about 1mm to large. Fine, i can put that in my lathe and machine it down, but it would still not help.
Reason is the ring that secures it has a thread way different and WAY too large. It is about 2mm in diameter larger than what is on the projector.
This is clearly NOT an Amphenol connector that is on the projector.
See images, quite different.

In that case you are going to have to change the connectors. I would swap them for Speakon plugs.

 

[retnev]

In that case you are going to have to change the connectors. I would swap them for Speakon plugs.

Nope, I will keep looking.
I dont take the easy way out and rather restore than adapt.